A GRIP ON SPORTS

I have been awake a long time. And I haven't done this much reading in a short span since my senior year in college. OK, I'll admit it. I read more this morning than I ever did in college. And today's subject matter (college football, high school football, baseball) was a heck of lot more interesting than “Paradise Lost” or “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Well, the latter was really good, but not as interesting as Christian Caple's feature on WSU coach Mike Leach. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

For the past two weeks or so, the Olympics have not only held our attention spans in sway, but have given me something to write about – if need be – each morning. But that is over now. London 2012 is done, Rio 2016 is the next stop. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • UPDATED: 9:05 A.M.

My attention is split right now. No, I haven't developed a second persona. I am trying to watch the gold medal basketball game while I write. Thus part of me is a writer, part of me a fan. As a writer I have some serious questions about the Olympics I want answered. As a fan I just wonder two things: Who is that homeless guy Spain has playing guard and why can't Kobe guard him. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

I really don't have anything to rant about today. Sorry. Though I did notice the stars of the Arena Bowl seemed to be all former Shock players. And Tiger Woods is in position to win another major. And the Mariners threw away what should have been a sure win last night. And … ah, you get the picture. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

The names rolled off the tongue like a rap song – though rap hadn't been invented yet. Names like Jim Thorpe, Rafer Johnson, Bob Mathias, Bill Toomey, Bruce Jenner. They were the winners of the Olympic decathlon and they were considered the world's greatest athlete. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Yesterday was a good day. With some time on my hands, I was able to spend a bit of time watching the Olympic men basketball semifinals. And I discovered a group of officials who make the Pac-12's look incredibly talented. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

With the Olympics going on, it's been a bit harder to stay in touch with the Mariners. But last night, thanks to a rare meltdown by the bullpen, we were all given multiple chances to check in with the M's. Fourteen chances actually. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's going to be a warm one today, which is typical for the early part of August in these parts. What is untypical, this year at least, is I'll be out in the heat. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Larry Larue, the Tacoma News Tribune Mariners' beat reporter, had fun with Twitter yesterday. He kept re-tweeting Yankee fans' tweets about Felix Hernandez. The basis of the fans' tweets? Why was Felix still with the M's and not a Yankee? He is so good, he should be in New York. Never, ever let anyone tell you Yankee fans aren't arrogant. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

The Olympics are dominating the world's sporting consciousness – as they should – even though the main element of the Games, track and field, has just gotten underway. During the first week new faces in gymnastics, cycling and swimming commandeered  the world stage, though there is one familiar fellow we want to talk about. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

When it came time to watch television last night, I already knew Michael Phelps had defeated Ryan Lochte, Gabby Douglas was an all-around champion and the U.S. women had won the gold in rowing. But that didn't stop Kim and me from watching the Olympics for four hours. And we were not alone. It seems the tape-delay strategy is paying off (in a whole bunch of moola) for NBC. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Our poll question today gets away from the London Olympics and brings us back to the Pacific Northwest, where the Mariners haven't lost in a week. Is it real or an illusion? Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

What is the basic mission of a newspaper and its website? To report the news in a timely fashion, right? Well even doing that can lead to some criticism. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

The best part of the Olympics? Spending four weeks or so learning about athletes in sports you might not pay all that much attention to during the other 47 months between the Games. Which leads to this question: What's not to like about Missy Franklin? Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

I just have one question. If the participants are wearing makeup, are they participating in a sport? Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

You know it's going to be a tough morning when you set the alarm for 5 a.m. You know it's going to be even tougher when your browser crashes at 5:26 a.m. You know it's going to be so tough you'll want to throw your computer against the wall when all your work is lost. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

The summer lull is officially over. Just about every local college has news to talk about today, something that hasn't happened consistently since March. Not all of it is in the good news variety, that's for sure. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It doesn't seem possible, but August is less than a week away. Really. And with that bit of news comes this accompanying tidbit: Football camps are not that far behind. Yep, it's not all that long from now each day will be filled with news and notes about our local football teams. Even if the temperature is hovering around triple digits. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

On the way across the state last night for a weekend in Bellevue, we made one mistake and it almost cost us more than just an hour of our time. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

As the heat begins to build and the humidity rises, the term “dog days of summer” becomes more and more applicable. In more and more ways. Read on.